Dia de los Muertos
(Nov. 1 – Nov. 2)
Dia
de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, is a Mexican tradition combining native
Aztec
and Roman Catholic
practices and beliefs. It is celebrated on Nov.
1 for children who have passed away and Nov. 2 for adults
who have passed
away. The Day of the Dead is a time for the dead to return home and visit
loved ones,
feast on their favorite foods and listen to their favorite music.
The core elements of the holiday are family visits to decorate
the tombs
where their ancestors lay and offer food, drink and temporary altars. The
gist of the fiesta
is that the spirits of the dead on these dates are able
to come back from the beyond to visit, if the living facilitate
this communion
with petals of the cempazúchitl (an orange marigold flower) pointing
in the direction from
the grave to the house. The cempazúchitl represents
the sun and the aroma to help the spirits
find their way back home. Altars
and tombs also feature candles to light the way, water for their dead to
drink
for the journey and salt for to spice their food. The foods at the altar
are particular favorites of the dead and
the children even have their
favorite toy from when they were alive. It is celebrated with sugar
skills
with the name of the deceased on the forehead. The skulls are used to symbolize
death and rebirth.
It is believed that the dead consider it disrespectful to be greeted by
grieving at the altar. Mexicans
feel that death is a special occasion,
but with elements
of celebration, because the soul is passing
into another life. A common symbol
of the holiday is the skull, called calavera, which celebrants
represent
in masks, called calacas (skeleton), and foods such as sugar that can
be given
to
both the living and the dead. Other foods include pan de muerto, a sweet
egg bread made in various
shapes, from plain rounds to skulls and rabbits
often decorated with white frosting to look
like twisted bones. This
is a ritual
the indigenous people had been practicing at least
3,000 years. Even today,
it is celebrated with great enthusiasm, joy, and love.
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